Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. The Dallas Rattlers made their first two roster transactions on Friday afternoon, signing two of the former Rochester franchise’s biggest names in goalie John Galloway and defenseman Joel White.
The moves come just weeks after the team announced it was relocating to Dallas, drawing speculation that many of the Rattlers stars might not return to the team. Now with two of them back, the Rattlers still have the likes of Ned Crotty, Mike Manley, Jeremy Boltus, John Lade, Jordan MacIntosh and John Ranagan to try to sign via Player Movement.
Galloway and White, both three-time MLL All-Stars and U.S. national training team members, have been with the Rattlers since 2011. Galloway spoke with Lax Sports Network, saying that he’s doing his part to keep the former Rattlers roster in tact.
2. The Central New York lacrosse community is remembering the life of Onondaga Nation Chief Irving Powless Jr., a CNY Chapter Hall of Famer and former lacrosse player for the Onondaga Athletic Club, who died at 88 on Thursday. Powless Jr. was the chief of the Beaver Clan of the Onondaga Nation and fought for the soverignity of the Haudenosaunee.
His family desribed Powless Jr. as "a loving and supportive father and grandfather, who was quick with a joke and never let you forget that one time he knocked down the great Jim Brown with the hip check in a lacrosse game" according to Syracuse.com.
3. LaxStache Madness keeps growing, both literally and figuratively. The mustache-growing campaign set another fundraising record in 2017, raising $245,000 to go toward funding for more than 1,633 complimentary nights of lodging and support for guest families of Nick’s House.
HEADStrong Texas was again the top fundraising team ($23,046.63), while Towson men’s lacrosse ($18,439.86) finished second and won the National LaxStache-Off.
“It has been inspirational to see the generosity, teamwork and philanthropic spirit of so many amazing young men working to support the HEADstrong mission,” LaxStache Madness creator Ken Clausen said. “We could not think of a better way to pay homage to HEADstrong founder Nick Colleluori then raising more than $245,000 this year, especially with the new Nick’s House opening in 10 days.”
4. Nike released its Alpha Huarache 6 LE “Eyes” cleat on Friday. The new shoe, which Nike brands as “next evolution of lacrosse cleat,” got much of its inspiration from Chesapeake Bayhawks and Georgia Swarm star Lyle Thompson.
Thompson, an avid drawer and “sneaker head,” created an eagle eye to represent the bird’s vision and Thompson’s style of play. That eagle eye appears in the insole of the new Nike Cleats.